Princess Charm School
by Creme Caramel
Summary: When Blair, an ordinary girl from Gardania was chosen to go to PCS, all she wanted was to learn basic etiquette. It turned out fate had more in store for her… A secret long hidden. A forbidden love. A magical adventure. A story of Princess Charm School.
1. The Beginning

Chapter 1: The beginning

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom of Gardania, there lived a young girl named Blair, who had a dream locked inside her heart: To be a princess. After years and years of dreaming, she finally got an opportunity to go to Princess Charm School and learn to be one.

One day, Blair decided to confront her parents with the matter. She went into the family's kitchen.

-Mother, Father-She began.-I would like to tell you that...

-Yes, sweetie?-Blair's mother raised her eyebrow, studying her daughter.

Blair took a deep breath.

-I...I would like to attend Princess Charm School, Mother.

-Oh, Blair... The school will cost us a fortune! And isn't it for princesses only?-Blair's father frowned. Both parents were looking at her, seemingly skeptical.

-Please, just let me explain-Blair tried to keep calm.-The school's also open for normal citizens, Father. And in fact, they offered me a full scholarship. We won't have to pay for the school.

-You applied for Princess Charm School?-Blair's mother asked.

-And got a full scholarship?-Added her father.

-Yes Mother, yes Father. Will you allow me to attend Princess Charm School? Please?

Blair looked at her parents with hopes burning inside."This is my once in a lifetime chance to be who I want to be. Please say yes, please let me attend it..." Several seconds passed, but to Blair, it seemed like that moment lasted for centuries.

-Well, I suppose it's a good opportunity for her, don't you think?-Blair' father talked to her mother.

-Of course. Maybe they'll finally teach her some princess manner.-Her mother smiled gently.

-Wait... Does that mean you agree? I can go?

-Of course you can go, Blair! It is an honor to be attending Princess Charm School.

Blair wanted to jump around in joy.

-Oh, thank you mother, father! Thank you so much! I won't let you down!-She hugged her parents tightly.-I'll go pack my things!

Blair ran out, but got too excited and stumbled upon the doorstep. She nearly fell on her face.

-Oops!

-Blair, sweetie! Are you all right?-Blair's father helped her up.

-I'm okay! I'm... I'm okay.-Blair quickly got up and left the room in embarrassment.

Blair's father shook his head.

-Blair's still Blair.-Blair's mother laughed.

-I really DO hope they'll teach her some princess manner.-Blair's father said, walking back into the kitchen.


	2. Princess Charm School

Chapter 2: Princess Charm School

It was a beautiful sunny morning when Blair was preparing to leave for school.

-Do you have enough clothes? Medicine?-Blair's mother asked, trying to stuff a first-aid kit into her bag.

Blair's parents eagerly stuffed more and more clothes, books and medicine into her bag, which looks like it was about to explode.

-Mother, I'm sure the school has enough supplies for me,-Blair reassured her mother.-Besides, why do I need a first-aid kit?

-Oh, just in case-Blair's father replied.-Remember what happened to you last summer?

-Yes, Father. Yes, I do remember.-Blair was terrified to see her parents continue to pack her bag. Luckily, the carriage arrived just in time to save Blair and her poor stuffed bag.

-Oh, I have to go! Goodbye Mother, goodbye Father!-She quickly hugged her parents and jumped on the carriage.

-Take care, sweetie!

-Careful on the stairs, Blair!

Blair waved to her parents until they were only smal silhouettes slowly disappearing from her eyesight.

-Do you think she'll find out about the truth when she gets there?-Blair's mother asked her husband anxiously.

-Oh, Helen, you know she'll find out sooner or later. It's for her best...

-

Blair looked through the window. She could she crowded towns with busy markets. The world outside her small village was so exciting, yet she never knew. But now Blair somehow knew this was just the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

Soon, the castle appeared before her eyes. Princess Charm School. Blair got off the carriage and looked around.

Right there in the front yard of the school, she could see different girls dressed in long flowing gowns and diamond tiaras. Princesses. Blair suddenly felt isolated, as she's not one of them. "Can I make friends with them, since I'm not a princess?"

Trying to get rid of that negative thought, she stepped closer to the school. The castle was beautiful. She had never seen such a thing before. And its beauty caught her eyes so much that she forgot about everything around.

Everything including the soccer ball that's heading towards her head at full speed.

-Incoming! Look out!-But it was already too late. The soccer ball practically knocked Blair over. Oops.

-Oh My, are you all right?-Blair heard a girl's voice, but she didn't care to see who she was. Her head was still in shock after the hard impact with the ball.

-Yes, I think... I think I'm okay.

Now Blair could see the girl as she pulled her up. A young girl with dark hair, wearing blue shorts and sneakers.

-I'm so sorry about that-She said.-But you must be very oblivious not to see that one coming-She started to laugh.

Blair made a shy smile.

-Anyway, I'm Audrey, Princess of Athol. But they call me "Soccer Princess". What's your name and where do you come from?

-Well, my name's Blair, and my home country is right here, in Gardania.-Blair answered.

Audrey gasped.

-You're the princess of Gardania?

-No, not really.-Blair felt out of place again.-I'm not a princess. I got here with a scholarship.

-Oh. Oh well, doesn't matter. Have you seen the whole school? Let me show you around. We'll find your dormroom.

-Thank you.-For the first time since arriving at school, Blair felt like she was accepted, that she could have great friends here.

Meanwhile, a princess was watching them from a distance. Princess Tessa, along with her friends, Lara and Diana.

-Hm, it seems like Audrey-the-tomboy-weirdo got herself a friend.-Tessa said.-Did you hear what she said, girls? She's not a princess. Why is she here?

-You heard it, Tessa. She got a scholarship.-Diana answered her.

-But there are so many real princesses out there, why did they choose her? She doesn't belong here. She must be up to something. In that case...

Lara and Diana all looked at Tessa, curious about what she was going to say next.

-I promise you, peasant, I'll make you regret ever being here... 


	3. The newfound enemy

Chapter 3: The new-found enemy

Audrey showed Blair the whole school: The classrooms, the mini-theatre, the restrooms. Finally, when they were done, they started to look for Blair's room.

After a while, they found it.

-Room 167- Audrey said, looking at the sign on the door that read "167".-I wonder who's your roommate.

-We'll find out- Blair responded. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Knock, knock".

-Just a moment- A sweet, melodic voice came out from inside the room.

They waited. And just 3 seconds later, the door was opened. A young girl with red hair stood by the doorstep, looking at them.

-May I help you?- She asked. Blair wanted to answer, but the girl spoke again.- Oh, you must be my roommate. Please, come in.

Blair waved goodbye to Audrey, who then returned to her room on the lower floor. But as Blair was about to step inside the room, she heard someone clear their throat.

-Uh-hum- It was Tessa, standing there with her loyal sidekick Diana. Her room was right next to Blair's.

-Oh, hello, Tessa. I didn't see you here.-Blair's new roommate said, slightly annoyed.

-Of course you didn't. What does a prissy princess like you can see other than your own reflection in the mirror?-Tessa said sarcastically, followed by Diana's laugh.

-Please, don't be mean to her.-Blair tried to eradicate the growing tension that was rising between them.-We live next to each other. We should be friends and help each other during the school year.

-Such a preachy peasant- Tessa smirked.- Well, good luck with your new friend, Mel!- She blew a kiss towards Blair's roommate and walked in with Diana, slamming the door.

Once Blair got into her room as well, they began to get to know each other.

-I'm sorry about Tessa. She's always like that. Though we used to be best friends when we were younger...-There was a hint of nostalgia in her voice, and the room fell silent for a moment.-Oh, I almost forgot, my name's Melody. People here call me "Rock Star Princess". What's your name?

-I'm Blair.-Blair smiled. She looked around their room. Right beside Melody's bed there was an acoustic guitar and some heavy books with notes written all over them. Blair then knew how Melody loved music and where did the nickname come from.

-Blair, huh?-Melody poured some tea into a teacup on a little round table in the middle of the room.-That's a beautiful name. Would you care for some tea?- She handed the teacup to Blair gracefully.  
>-Thank you-Blair adored the way Melody walked. It looked as if she was dancing. Only if she could walk like that without tripping very five steps...<p>

When Melody came back and sat on her bed, Blair began to talk to her.

-But why does Tessa behave like that?-She asked.

-I don't know- Melody sighed.-She's the princess of Gardania. Everyone is afraid of her. Her coronation will take place this summer, at the end of the school year.

-She'll become the queen? Then it makes sense why everyone is afraid of her.

-But I don't think it's a good thing- Melody warned.- Believe me, I know Tessa. She'll spend all the national budget on luxuries.

Another silent moment passed. Melody was the first to speak:

-Well, you don't have to worry about that. It's probably been a long day for you. Let's get some rest. We'll have our first etiquette class tomorrow.

Blair was feeling tired after a long journey, so she agreed to go to bed, hoping the rest of the school year would get better as it went on.

Little did she know that this was just the beginning of a series of life-changing events... 


	4. A Fairy Secret

Chapter 4: A Fairy Secret

_Dear Mother and Father,___

_I'm writing this letter to you as my first month here in Princess Charm School has passed. I'm doing very well and I hope you are, too. It's very nice here; I met some new friends. They're both princesses and they're very kind to me. Audrey cheers me up whenever I feel sad, and Melody helps me with the Royal Etiquette, something I'm not very good at.___

_But there's one thing I still don't understand. Princess Tessa seems to dislike me, and I don't know why. She caused me to break an expensive vase during my first lesson and embarrassed me in front of everyone. I just hope I could find out why she's doing this and make friends with her. Right now, with friends like Audrey and Melody, I'm sure I'll be just fine, don't worry for me.___

_Class is starting and I have to go now. I promise I'll write to you more often and I'm sure I will come home as soon as I can. May the best be with you. I love you both very much.___

_Your daughter,___

_Blair._

"Blair, if you don't hurry, we'll be late again", Melody opened the door.

"Just a minute, Mel", Blair carefully folded her letter, put it back on the desk and joined Audrey and Melody, who were waiting in the corridor.

"Remember Blair, walk slowly, you're wearing a long dress. Or else..." Melody didn't get to finish the sentence, because Blair had tripped, scattering her books everywhere.

"You'll fall. I told you."

"Can't you walk without falling? For once?" Audrey teased her, helping Blair collect the books.

"I'll try." Blair smiled, slightly embarrassed. As she reached for a book, it suddenly got lifted and floated in the air. She heard a familiar voice.

"There you go, Blair." It was Elaine, the fairy teacher's assistant at school.

"Thank you, Elaine." As Blair grabbed the book, she noticed a strange look on Elaine's face. As if she was hiding something, and that "something" had to do with Blair.

But before Blair could further think about it, Audrey pulled her away.

"Hurry Blair, we'll be late!" The girls literally dragged her to the classroom.

"Did you see the look on Elaine's face?" Blair asked as they were about to enter the class.

"Yes. The look that said:'If we don't go in right now, Ms. Marie will kill us'. Let's go, Blair." Audrey couldn't wait anymore and rushed in.

Blair and Melody were the only ones left in the corridor.

"Something bothers you?", Melody asked."Elaine? I don't see why you have to be so worried. She seems to like you."

"This isn't the first time I noticed it." Blair explained."Everytime we meet, she gives me that strange look. Like I'm involved in a matter she's trying to hide from me."

Melody sighed and smiled gently.

"Nevertheless, we should discuss this later. Now, we have classes. Let's go, Blair."

Lesson started. But all morning, Blair couldn't concentrate on anything. Her mind revolved around Elaine's behavior which had been going since she attended Princess Charm School.

-

"Lara, do you think we should celebrate this with a party?" Tessa asked her loyal sidekick, Lara.

It was a sunny afternoon and Tessa was walking around in her room nerviously, much to her friends' annoyance.

"I think you should organize a Royal Ball and invite everyone at school. That way, you'll make them jealous." Lara sighed, apparently bored with Tessa's behavior.

Tessa contemplated the idea for a while. Make everyone jealous... Everyone, including that peasant! That would be perfect.

"Then it's settled," Tessa declared. "Diana, help me spread the invitations."

-

In the meantime, as Blair and Melody were sitting in their room studying, Audrey suddenly stormed in.

"Girls!", she squealed. "Tessa is organizing a Royal Ball! And we're all invited!" The waved a pink piece paper to Melody.

Melody immediately jumped from her seat and took the invitation from Audrey's hands.

"She'll invite Royalties from other countries too! I wonder if I'll find my romantic prince there..." She began daydreaming about her own prince Charming.

Ignoring Melody, Audrey turned to Blair.

"Aren't you excited, Blair? This is going to be great!"

Blair didn't seem interested. She was somewhat still puzzled by the thought about Elaine.

"This looks like a perfect occasion to cheer you up", Audrey said."Come on, let's see if we can find anything for you. See you later, Mel!" She pulled Blair out of the room.

Left alone, Melody sat next to the window, dreaming of the day her prince will come bringing her a red rose and take her to live happily ever after in a faraway kingdom.

And right in that moment, she spotted a white pigeon flying towards the window.

"Rhythm?", she reached out her hand for the bird. "My parents must have sent you here. I wonder what news they deliver." She opened a piece of paper the pigeon brought and read it. She was shocked.

"Oh Dear! How did this happen? How could it be, that they never told me about this?" 


	5. The Royal Ball

Chapter 5: The Royal Ball

The Royal Ball was coming. Everyone was getting ready for the big night, including Blair and her friends.

Audrey was excessively excited about the Ball, something Blair didn't expect, since her tomboy friend had never been interested in events involving formal clothes and dancing. But at least Audrey was having a good time preparing for the Ball. She even found a light pink dress for Blair, and took care of choosing accessories.

Melody had been silent ever since, and Audrey knew for sure something was bothering her too, though she couldn't tell what. And the Soccer Princess was quite unhappy that both of her friends looked so gloomy on a night like this.

"Girls, cheer up! What's wrong with you? First it's Blair, now it's you!", She broke the uncomfortable silence in the room.

"It's nothing, Audrey. Just…", Melody said, looking tired and bored. Suddenly she gasped, glancing at Audrey's shoes. "What are these? Sneakers? Who would wear sneakers with such an elegant dress?"

Audrey blushed.

"Well…"

"Princesses", Elaine appeared at the door. "Time to go." Audrey was saved from a lecture from Melody regarding princesses' dressing.

"Should I reveal the secret? It wouldn't be fair to keep it hidden forever, but it would turn the whole kingdom upside down if the secret ever came in the limelight. What should I do?" Elaine watched as the girls left for the Ball.

"Isn't this great?" A fascinated Audrey asked her friends as they arrived at the Ballroom. The room was filled with music, food and dancing partygoers from everywhere across the continent.

Melody didn't seem to share Audrey's euphoria though. No sooner had they arrived than she fabricated an excuse to leave and disappeared into the crowd.

"I'll be right back." She was in a hurry and didn't even look back at her friends.

"Mel?" Audrey turned around, but Melody was gone. "Strange. She was here a second ago. Well Blair, just enjoy the Ball. I'll go look for her… and get some tasty party treats."

Aha, so that's why she was that excited! Blair giggled to herself and momentarily forgot about her worries. The Ball isn't that bad after all. Blair wanted to go look around, but all she could do was stand there and watch people dance, afraid if she moved she would cause more trouble like she did at school.

Meanwhile, Tessa was talking to her friends about the Ball.

"My Mother will make the announcement right before the dinner party", She proudly said to one of her friends. "Then everyone will know how lucky I am."

"We know you are, Tessa", Diana fawned. "But where is he?" They all looked around. But the person they were looking for was nowhere to be found.

"If he doesn't show up, may I dance with you?" Tessa was startled. Standing in front of her, was Victor, the waiter, who'd been stalking her for months.

"Victor! How dare you scare me like that! Go away!", She chased her admirer away, feeling awkward.

"I guess he'll be here soon", She said, after ordering a guard to grab Victor and take him as far away from her as he can.

Nick took a deep breath. He peeked through the curtains and saw hundreds of people in the Ballroom.

"Oh dear, I thought I told her not to make it too ostentatious", He thought to himself. "I hate these kinds of parties. Oh well, here goes nothing."

He stepped into the Ballroom, drawing some people's attention. They announced his arrival to everyone in the room. Everyone was now aware of the Prince's presence. Everyone, except for Blair.

Prince Nicholas, on the contrary, noticed Blair immediately as he entered the Ballroom. There was something about her that caught his eye. Unable to resist, the prince found himself approaching the girl.

"I hate these kinds of parties", Blair thought. "Maybe I should…" As she turned around, she saw a prince standing in front of her. He reached a hand out to her.

"May I have this dance?" He asked her. Blair's heart was beating fast. She could feel herself blushing.

"Oh well, here goes nothing." Blair thought as she gracefully bowed to the prince, remembering Melody's etiquette training. "Yes, of course, your highness." She replied.

She took his hand and he led her to the center of the Ballroom.

The music changed to a slow waltz. As they danced across the room, Blair felt like the whole world stopped and looked at them with admiration. For a while, she forgot about everything else. For a while, she was the princess who just found her soulmate. Even though it only lasted for a while.

"Tell me, what is your name?" He asked.

"My name's Blair, your highness. Princess Blair." She wanted to curse herself for saying the last sentence, but somehow she said it. She lied to the Prince.

"Blair," He repeated. "You have a beautiful name."

"Thank you, your highness. "Blair blushed.

"Why don't you just call me Nick, princess?" Prince Nick smiled at her, which made her feel happy but a little bit uncomfortable.

Blair wanted to say something, but a loud noise interrupted her. She looked over Nick's shoulder and saw Audrey next to a huge mess. Her hunt for food turned out to be catastrophic. She knocked the dining table over and food was everywhere on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Blair mouthed to Audrey.

"Sorry! I was looking for Mel", Audrey mouthed back.

"Doesn't look like you're looking for her at all." Blair thought, observing the food on the once polished floor.

"Oh, what a mess. Why don't we let the maids clean this up and go outside?" Nick suggested. And, not waiting for his partner to answer, he gently pulled her out to the balcony.

After half an hour of searching, Melody finally found Nick and Blair outside at the balcony. She was about to jump out there and grab Nick, but seeing how happy they are together set her romantic heart fluttering.

"Ah, look at that- They're so perfect for each other! Even though Blair has no chance of being with him…" She sighed.

"… They say unrequited love is love in its purest form, because you love someone knowing you'll get nothing in return."

Melody turned around. She saw a young man approaching her. He looked as mysterious as the night, with dark hair and black eyes that seemed to deepen the more she looked into them.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Just someone who happens to share the same thought with you, Princess Melody…" He kissed her hand gently.

"You… you know my name…" She smiled shyly.

"I know much more about you than just your name, Princess…" He whispered into her ear and gave her a red rose."Shall we dance?"

The stars were shining bright. Nick and Blair were talking about every subject there was to talk about.

"You see that star, Blair? I've never noticed that before, but now I realized, she's as beautiful as a princess I know…" He looked straight in Blair's eyes. She felt as if she was about to faint.

"There you are, Nicky. I've been looking for you everywhere." Blair turned around and saw Teresa walking towards them. Nick walked to Tessa and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry, but there was a big mess inside" He said apologetically.

"Would you mind if we go back inside? After all, we have an engagement to announce." Tessa glanced at Blair with her "innocent" eyes.

And not waiting for Blair's answer, she walked in with Nick.

The world was going crazy before Blair's eyes. Engagement? To Tessa? She was disappointed, but managed to snap herself out of it.

"Who do you think you are, Blair? You're just a peasant. He's the crown prince of Buckinghurst. Don't be delusional, he'll never fall for you…" Blair could not hold the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

Inside Audrey was cleaning the mess she caused.

"Let me help you", She heard a voice, and saw a boy helping her clean up. "Where are the maids? A maiden like you shouldn't work this hard."

"I caused this mess myself, so I have to clean it up. And thank you." Audrey murmured.

"Hi. I'm Paul. I like your sneakers, by the way."

"You do? Thank you! My name's Audrey." Audrey had never felf happier. Someone finally found her sneakers nice.

"Would you like to dance?" Paul asked her after they were done cleaning.

"Sure." She replied.

The Ball was finally over, and now Blair was in her room, looking out the window.

"So Prince Nicholas is your brother? And he's going to marry Tessa… Why didn't you tell me?" Blair said, still sad after hearing the news.

"I just found out recently" Melody frowned. "I tried to find him and talk to him at the Ball. You know, knock some sense into him. But it was already too late."

Blair sighed. "A terrible night, wasn't it?"

"Not really. I met a Prince. His name's Damian. He's very romantic… And mysterious too." Melody smiled, dreaming about her prince.

"How is it, that my friends both met the loves of their lives, and I did not? Audrey met Paul, who likes the way she dresses, and Mel found Damian, the prince who brought her a red rose. What about me? I found my love, but lost him to Tessa."

Blair looked at the sky, at the same star she and Nick were gazing at the Ball, and made a wish.

As she went to bed, the star suddenly sparked brighter. 


	6. A Secret Unveiled

Chapter 6: A Secret Unveiled

Blair passed through the school corridor. It's been a week since the Ball, and everything seemed to be back to normal.

Everything, and everyone, have gone back to their normal routine. Blair liked it this way. It partially helped her get over the disappointment at the Ball, which she was hopelessly trying to fend off.

But right now, that wasn't her main problem. Blair had to carry a mountain of books to Elaine in the library downstairs.

"Why do I have to do this? Why wouldn't Ms. Marie ask someone else? Or bring them to Elaine herself?" It wasn't the weight of the books that scared her, it was the encounter with Elaine.

Her mind flashed back to 10 minutes earlier.

Ms. Marie, a middle-aged woman, was gathering some books from the teacher's desk. She walked out and forced them on the nearest student she found. Blair.

"Oh, thank God you're here, Blair. Can you please take these books to Elaine in the library? She's supposed to read them before the next lesson, and my back is killing me."

Blair sighed as she came back to reality. Growing up as a peasant had its advantages. You can't walk like a princess, but you can at least carry books without complaining.

Blair giggled to herself and pushed the door open. The library was always her favorite place: Quiet, peaceful and Tessa-free. She enjoyed being here because she knew this was the only place Tessa would never come to.

"Blair!", Elaine greeted her."Ms. Marie must have told you to bring me this. Thank you!"

"Hello, Elaine.", Blair said, without any enthusiasm in her voice. She put the books on the nearest desk and looked around.

It was strange that though she came here everyday, she never noticed how beautiful the paintings on the wall were.

"These paintings are so beautiful.", Blair was fascinated."I've always loved art."

"Do you want to see more?", Elaine asked her.

Blair was intrigued with Elaine's suggestion.

"There's more? Then, yes, of course, please."

She followed Elaine through shelves and shelves of books, until they got into the farthest part of the library, where paintings were hung.

She viewed all paintings there. Some of them depicted nature, with green fields and flowing streams, others showed the villages, the markets, the people,... and of course, the palace. It seemed like every scenery of Gardania was stored in those pictures.

But what drew Blair's attention the most was a painting at the very end of the room. A picture hidden behind the curtains. Out of curiosity, Blair stepped closer and opened the curtains.

She saw a beautiful young woman, with blonde hair flowing over her shoulders that seemed to sparkle like sunshine. Her eyes, blue as the summer sky, enlightened her pale face. And most notably, she was wearing a golden crown.

"Who is she?", Blair asked. "Is she someone from the Royal family? I didn't see her at the Ball."

"She's not just 'someone' from the Royal family. She's the queen of Gardania."

Queen of Gardania? Blair pictured Tessa's mother. No, it couldn't be her.

"She doesn't look like Tessa's mother", Blair commented."Is she... one of her ancestors?"

"What makes you think Queen Cassandra is the rightful queen of this kingdom?" Elaine asked and made a mysterious look on her face."I'll tell you a secret. This woman you see, is queen Miriam. She was overthrown by her cousin some time ago."

Blair listened carefully. This doesn't sound good, she thought.

"Ever since Cassandra got to the throne, the kingdom has been restless. Any hopes of restoring the Queen's powers lie in the hands of her daughter, the lost princess."

"But why are you telling me this? It's not like I can help. This sounds very serious, you should discuss with someone who can solve the problem." Blair had an uneasy feeling that this was what Elaine was keeping from her.

"What if I tell you you're the lost princess? And that you're the one we're looking for..."

Blair stepped back.

"Stop joking, Elaine. I can't be the princess! I'm not her daughter! I know my parents! My Mother is Helen, and my Father is Anthony! Prove to me why I should believe this!"

Elaine contemplated for a while. Then she said, loud and clear.

"The Queen said her daughter has a special birthmark on her left shoulder."

Blair immediately grabbed her shoulder. The birthmark, that was somehow shaped like a flower. It was always carefully hidden under her sleeves. Blair never showed it to anyone, even Audrey and Melody.

With fear and bewilderment, Blair took another step back, then another... Until she ran away from the library as fast as she could.

But there was another thing she didn't know: Someone overheard their conversation. Blair was wrong to assume that Tessa never came there. She was in fact hiding behind a bookshelf nearby. And now the secret is unveiled to both of them. 


	7. A Wicked Surprise

Chapter 7: A Wicked Surprise

"No, this can't be true!", Tessa angrily thought as she quickly left the library. "That girl..."

Tessa was only hanging around in the library looking for some random books when she heard someone mention her name. And when she started to carefully listen to their conversation, she accidentally discovered a serious matter that could affect her entire family.

Steeped in her own unviverse, Tessa passed Audrey, who just returned from Soccer practice. Normally she would make some cruel jokes about her "unladylike interests", but today she completely forgot it and ignored her victim.

"Strange", Audrey thought, amused. "She ran into me, but didn't call me names as she always does. Something must have gone wrong. Oh well, not my business."

-

"Mother!"

It was a quiet afternoon at the Gardania Palace, and queen Cassandra, Tessa's mother, was relaxing in her private library when her daughter stormed in.

"Tessa!", she exclaimed, apparently surprised. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at school right now?"

"I know this is abrupt, but I want to ask you something, Mother."

Queen Cassandra put down the book she was reading and carefully listened to her daughter.

"Well, I know this sounds unusual but...", Tessa began to whisper. "Do you remember the Royal family that you overthrew years ago?"

The queen was shocked at the question, but nodded anyway.

"What are you trying to say, Tessa?"

"Are you sure you got rid of them [i]all[i], Mother?" Tessa ignored the question and continued hers.

Queen Cassandra wasn't happy everytime her daughter mentioned this. It could either be the remorse she felt for commiting it, or it could simply be the fact that she didn't want anyone else to know the secret. Either way, she was not willing to talk about it.

"Yes. How many times do I have to tell you? And what's wrong with you today, Tessa? Why are you asking me such things?"

Tessa bit her lips. Maybe it was best to tell her mother what she just discovered.

-

Blair ran as fast as she could back to her room, slammed the door and leaned against it, panting.

"What's wrong, Blair?", Melody asked, looking worried.

Blair looked up and saw her friends studying her with concern.

"I...I think I need to let this out. Listen, this morning... I saw Elaine in the library..." She couldn't stop panting.

"What? All right, just sit down first." Melody forced Blair to sit on their bed.

"You need to exercise more", Audrey joked, and immediately got a disapproving look from the red-haired princess.

"Tell us", she urged.

Within half 15 minutes Blair tried to explain to her friends what had happened in the library. And of course, at first both thought it was a joke, but as Blair kept stressing that what she was telling them was true, both became confused.

"I don't know what to think about this...", Audrey remarked after listening to Blair.

"If you don't believe me, go ask Elaine. She knows best." Blair was tired of this and only wanted to rest.

"That's a prefect idea! You come with us.", Blair was only beginning to lay down when she got violently pulled up again.

"Hey! Let me go! I didn't mean go right now!"

-

"Are you sure?", queen Cassandra looked at Tessa with bewilderment in her eyes.

"Yes, Mother.", she replied in a monotonous voice. "I heard Elaine talk to her in the school library. What do you think? Is it really her?"

The queen quickly reached for an enormous old book in the library and anxiously flipped over the pages.

"Before I overthrew Arthur... He established a law. A law that can only be abolished using the king's crest. It says that 16 years after the fall of the king, if no heir is found, the throne will forever be transitioned to our family."

Tessa gasped.

"That means... It's next week! If Blair shows up right now, it'll be disastrous! Don't you have the crest, Mother?"

Queen Cassandra shook her head.

"No, because only the king has it. I tried to take it from him the last time I saw him, but I couldn't find anything. This looks like trouble."

"I'm not sure yet, Tessa, but the age, description, especially the birthmark... seems like it's the lost princess. She's a liability, Tessa. We have to get rid of her before she fully believes in her true identity to make sure your coronation goes as planned." Cassandra put her hands on Tessa's shoulders. She nodded.

"I agree. But how?"

Cassandra burst out laughing. It scared Tessa a little bit.

"How? How else, darling? You're the princess. Use your potency to its full potential."

-

"Why did you have to drag us here, Nick? I don't like this place", Paul yawned lazily, looking around.

"I just thought it would be nice for friends to support each other. By the way, don't you want to see that clumsy princess again? The one who wrecked havoc at the Ball? I think she's cute.", Nick playfully teased his friend as they passed a hallway of princesses, who were all staring at them and fainting one by one.

The only ones apparently not affected were Blair, Audrey and Melody, who just returned from Elaine's office discussing the serious matter.

"Well, I don't know what about you guys, but I believe this. I mean, from the first time I met Blair, I knew she was a princess.", Audrey said.

Blair was going to respond, but her voice got interrupted.

"Princess Blair", Nick called when he saw her. She turned around to face him.

"Your highness! I mean... Nick, what are you doing here? And you guys too!", she looked over to Paul and Damian.

"He's here to see Tessa", Paul answered bluntly. Damian immediately gave him a nudge in the ribs. "Ouch."

"Oh. I'll see if I can find her for you.", Blair pretended not to care, but she was ready to punch anyone nearest to her. Which in this case would be Paul. No, that's just too cruel. Besides, Mel said fighting was inappropriate for princesses. Calm down, Blair...

"You won't find her here. She left school this morning. I guess she wanted to do some shopping.", Audrey explained to Nick, and he nodded.

Nick felt strange. The more he was near Blair, the more he felt attracted to her. There was... something about her that was different. A feeling he never felt before. Could it be love? He always thought he was in love with Tessa...

Silence. Unlike Nick and Blair, who did nothing but stare at each other awkwardly, the other 2 couples seemed to get along well. Damian kissed Melody on the forehead before gently embracing her, and Paul and Audrey started a conversation about sports they like.

But their romantic moment was interrupted. In a very noisy way. They could hear Tessa's footsteps from a distance. She came back, and wasn't very happy.

"Nicky!", she screamed. Nick was scared by her "greetings", but managed to stay on his feet. "Why didn't you tell me you were visiting?"

"I... wanted to surprise you.", He choked.

Tessa didn't look impressed. "Well, don't do that next time."

"Blair, I have a surprise for you too.", she turned to Blair and spoke to her with the sweetest voice she could make. "You shouldn't stand that close to us, little peasant."

Everyone was shocked. Peasant? What peasant?

"One more thing.", Tessa showed everyone a piece of paper covered with nice handwriting. Everyone gathered to see it. List of rules at Princess Charm School.

"There's a new rule at school, which I just invented half an hour ago. Commoners are no longer allowed to attend Princess Charm School. You're breaking the rules by standing here. You're expelled, Miss Blair."


	8. Confrontation With The Past

Chapter 8: Confrontation with the Past

A cloaked man was riding on a horse through the forest. Nobody knew who he was, but they could tell he was heading for the palace. Yet, he didn't know what was going on there...

"Commoners are no longer allowed to attend Princess Charm School", Tessa said sharply."You're expelled, miss Blair."

Silence. It took them a moment of shock and puzzlement. Until finally, Melody broke the awkward silence.

"You can't do that", she protested."It's almost the end of the school year! Who does she hurt by being here?"

Tessa smirked. She showed Melody the piece of paper.

"The rules, Mel. Read it again. And I have the right to do this, because I am the princess of this kingdom."

To Blair, things were way worse than they seemed. The fact that she was expelled from her dream school was not the only problem to deal with. Her identity had been exposed to him. The prince of her dreams. Her soulmate, though he was betrothed to someone else. Him. Prince Nicholas.

"Blair?", she could hear his voice trembling. She closed her eyes, trying to fight back the bitter feelings that were growing inside of her. Why? Why did she lie to him in the first place?

"Is it true?"

"Yes." She had to say it. This time, she had to tell the truth.

"Then why did you lie to me?"

"Nick, we can explain.", Melody tried to improve the situation, but Nick pushed her away.

"There's nothing to explain here, sister. I don't want to listen to anymore of this nonsense.", He turned around and walked away. Paul and Damian quickly followed him.

"Don't worry, we'll talk to him.", Damian said before rushing after Nick.

Silence again. They all stood like that, not daring to look each other in the eyes.

"Well, Blair?", Tessa turned to Blair. She ran away as fast as she could.

"Blair! Wait!", Audrey and Melody ran after her. They found her in her room, already preparing to leave school.

"Blair! Listen, why don't we tell them you're the princess? After all, you are the true crown princess of Gardania. It'd be unfair to you.", Audrey stopped her from packing.

"I don't have any proof. And they won't believe Elaine anyway. I'm going home." she walked out of the room, and then out of the school, to a carriage in front of the building.

"Blair", Just as she was about to get on the carriage, she saw Melody standing right next to it. Her eyes were begging her to stay. Great, now her friends made it harder for her to leave.

"It's all right, I'm not supposed to be here in the first place", Blair hugged Melody tightly and said with the most comforting voice she had. "Thank you for the lessons, Mel."

"Goodbye, Audrey. I'll miss you." She got on the carriage and it drove away.

"Does that mean she gives up?" Audrey asked."That's not it. I'm not going to let her do this." She walked back into the school.

"Where are you going?" Melody asked.

"Where else? To Elaine. She knows how to solve this mess."

-

On the carriage, Blair looked back as the school building was getting smaller. Months ago, when she first came here, on a carriage like this, her life was full of hopes! Now all those hopes and dreams had shattered. She couldn't hold back anymore, and suddenly burst into tears.

Helen, Blair's mother, was feeding the cow in the farm. She had a feeling something wasn't right. She just knew. It was the Mother's instict. It'd been a while since they last received Blair's letter.

"Anthony, do you think Blair is all right?" She asked her husband, who was in the kitchen carving a wooden box."I feel worried."

"I think she's fine, darling." He replied, still absorbed in the work."Besides, why wouldn't she be?"

Hardly had the finished the sentence when they heard a loud noise of a horse stopping by. And they went out, only to see their daughter come back with a sad face.

"Blair, why did you come home? The holidays are in a month." Helen asked and threw a "_I told you so_" look to Anthony.

"I'm sorry Mother, Father... I don't want to disappoint you, but..." Blair found it hard to admit she was ousted from the school.

"Don't cry, sweetheart. Let's first go inside and rest a little bit." Helen consoled her.

After setting down, Blair told her parents about her discovering herself as the princess of Gardania and Tessa changing the rules to kick her out of the school.

"Mother, Father... Please tell me I'm not a princess. I can't take this anymore" Blair asked after finishing the story.

Anthony and Helen looked at each other and sighed. It was time to tell the truth. They knew this day would come if she attended Princess Charm School.

"Blair, you are the princess of Gardania. We're sorry we didn't tell you this. We wanted you to be old enough to understand your responsibilities. Now you are."

It wasn't your fault you were expelled, but we think you should take back the throne that belongs to your family, after all your parents have been through to keep you safe." Anthony said.

Blair sighed. Now she really didn't know what to do.

"But I can't prove myself" She answered, feeling hopeless and pressured.

Helen stood up and searched in a drawer in their bedroom. Finally, she pulled out a beautifully ornated box and carried it to Blair.

"This is something only your family members own." She explained."Queen Cassandra and her daughter don't have this. I think this will prove you're the princess."

Blair slowly opened the box. Inside, there was a crest. The king's crest."

"It's... beautiful!" She exclaimed.

"When His Majesty King Arthur entrusted you to us, he told us to give this to you when the time comes..." Helen closed the box and watched as Blair held the crest in her hands.

"I always wondered why he entrusted us, a mundane couple of peasants, with such a big secret?" Anthony smiled.

But Blair didn't notice. Holding the crest in her hands, she imagined the past of her family. And she knew, she couldn't give up like this. She made a decision. 


	9. Operation Saving the Queen

Chapter 9: Operation "Saving the Queen"

Soon after Blair's departure, Audrey and Melody met up with Elaine.

"I should have known they would do this" Elaine said after hearing the news of what had happened. "Now that Cassandra knows Blair is the missing princess, the coronation will take place sooner..."

"Then how can we stop it?" Audrey asked urgently.

"Wait. Right now is the chance for us to rescue the queen from the dungeon. As everyone is busy with the preparations, they'll let their guard down. With her help, maybe it'll be easier for us to help Blair. Follow me." Elaine flew away. The princesses quickly followed her.

"How do know so much about this?" Melody asked.

"When this is over, maybe I'll tell you."

They headed to the palace, where Melody easily gained them access into the castle, given her "Tessa's future sister-in-law" status.

"I never thought this would turn out to be helpful." Melody remarked when they were inside the palace. "What are you going to with that mallet, Audrey?"

It seemed that Audrey had fetched herself a mallet before entering the palace and had no intentions of discarding the item.

"Just in case" she replied, still holding it tight.

Elaine led the girls to a secret passage underground. Inside, the place was very dark and filthy, which made them wonder how could the queen live there for so many years.

Yes, the dungeon was horrible. It was only slightly lit up by the burning porches attached to the wall. There were insects, rats and spider webs in every corner of it. Despite everything, the trio continued to look for the queen.

Finally, after a while, they found the cell that kept queen Miriam, Blair's mother. She looked scrubby and depressed. When they arrived, she didn't even care to look at her visitors.

"Your highness" Elaine flew through the bars and into the cell. Slowly, the queen recognized the little fairy.

"Elaine! What are you doing here? What if the guards find you?" Queen Miriam sounded worried. "Who are you?" She turned to Audrey and Melody.

"I found the princess. I found your daughter, Blair." Elaine quickly interrupted. "Now she needs your help, your highness."

It took the queen a while to be fully aware of what Elaine just said.

"You found Blair? But how? Is this true? Please, let me see her."

"Then we need to get you out of here, your highness." Audrey said and carefully observed the lock to find a way to open it.

But their attempt was unsuccessful, as they heard footsteps coming closer and closer.

"Run!" Elaine shouted, and the girls immediately ran for their lives.

"What are you doing here? Get out!" The guard ran after them, determined to capture one of them alive. And soon he caught Melody, the slower runner of the two.

"I don't care who you are, you'll have to pay for breaking into the forbidden area!" He declared as he tried to tie up a struggling Melody. His victory didn't last long, though.

"I don't think so." With all her strength, Audrey hit the guard with the mallet. Problem solved.

They took the keys from the guard, freed queen Miriam, tossed him into the cell with his mouth covered and locked him up. Now the real problem is how to get the queen out unnoticed.

Melody walked up to the palace hallway and looked around. She spotted Victor the waiter, with whom she was introduced at the Royal Ball. He passed quickly, carrying a tray of glasses.

"Pst! Victor!" She whispered.

He turned around. "Princess Melody? What are you doing here?"

"I need your help. Please find me some clothes and a mask."

Minutes later, they led a disguised queen our of the palace while the waiters kept the guards busy with some funny stories.

"Thank you, Vic" Melody mouthed to Victor as they were leaving. Victor nodded and continued to laugh and talk with the guards.

-

In the same building, Prince Nick was absolutely oblivious of the incredible prison break. He was too busy throwing anger tantrums at his poor friends.

"Nick, would you calm down and listen to me for once? I heard from Melody that your fiancee has been lying to you. She's been lying to all of us." For the twentieth time in the last hour, Damian tried to explain the situation to Nicky.

"What are you talking about? Don't you ever speak ill of Tessa behind her back."

"I'm just telling the truth." Damian finally decided it was time to give up.

"Can I hit him?" Paul whispered to him, hiding behind a mallet.

"No!"

Nick was confused. The girl he was falling in love with deceived him! And to think he thought she was different from any girl he met! For a moment, he was scared to fall in love. He was afraid to get hurt.

"Get out. I'm not in a mood to listen to this." He sighed.

Damian shrugged and shook his head.

"All right, then. You asked for it."

"What? What the hell are they talking ab..." Nick was about to turn around to face them, when...

"Hit him, Paul." 


	10. Reunion

Chapter 10: Reunion

Blair rushed outside to get into the carriage and go back to Princess Charm School. On her way from the family living room to the carriage she tripped four times. It seemed as if our little princess had forgotten all about princess manners after she got expelled.

"Careful, Blair" Helen said after Blair's third fall. "Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?"

Blair smiled as she got up from the ground.

"It'll be all right, Mother. Don't worry."

She got into the carriage. But, seeing her parents and their sad expressions, she couldn't help but get out of the carriage to give them a good-bye hug.

"Mother, Father… You're the best parents anyone could ever ask for… And I just want you to know that no matter where I go, who I become, I will always be your daughter, your little Blair. I love you both so much."

"We love you too, sweetie" Anthony said. "Take care of yourself there."

Then Blair got into the carriage and looked back as it drove away. Just like on her first day to school. But now everything had changed. She had grown up a lot, discovered herself as a princess, and now, she had an important mission: To take back what was rightfully hers and save the kingdom from misery caused by irresponsible rulers like Queen Cassandra and Princess Tessa. Will she succeed?

After a while of traveling, Blair finally arrived at school. And she could immediately sense that something was unusual: Everyone seemed to be busy preparing for a special occasion. Could it be…?

Blair ran upstairs to the students' dormitory searching for her friends. She ran into people carrying decorations and gussying up everywhere. Nobody seemed to bother that she wasn't supposed to be there. This couldn't be good.

And in the midst of the chaos, she heard a familiar voice calling her.

"Blair! Thank God you're back! We were just about to go find you!" Melody ran to her. The red-haired princess hugged her friend warmly.

"I'm so glad you're here! We have something to tell you. Someone you should meet." Melody tried to pull Blair away from the crowd, but Blair refused to go.

"Wait a minute. What's going on here? Why is everyone so busy?" She demanded an answer.

"The coronation. It's happening today, maybe in a few hours, before sunset." Melody sighed."Queen Cassandra moved the date earlier, that's why they haven't finished the preparations yet. But I really have something to tell you. Come with me." She took Blair's hand and and led her to the most remote part of the garden.

"What are we doing here?" Blair asked, worried that they were in such a quiet and isolated place.

"This is where I study all the time. People never notice this corner of the garden. Only this place has enough privacy for us." Melody avoided the answer.

They finally stopped. Blair looked around for a moment. There was nobody there. Just when she was about to ask Melody what this meant, she saw a person emerge from behind the bushes. Queen Miriam.

The queen took a careful look at Blair, and when she acknowledged she was her daughter, she couldn't hold back the tears and stepped closer. Blair stepped back.

"Blair… My daughter…" She reached out a hand to Blair. The girl avoided direct contact.

"Who are you?" She asked, feeling uncertain. Suddenly she felt there was something familiar about this face. And though she looked older now, it must be her. The woman in the painting Elaine showed her. Her Mother.

"I am your Mother, Blair" Queen Miriam teared up.

"You are my Mother…" Blair stepped closer. Yes! She is her Mother. The little peasant girl finally found her long lost Mother. Blair didn't know how, but some part of her just knew. It was her Mother.

The two hugged each other in a tearful reunion.

"Now what? We have to hurry before it's too late!" Audrey asked as they passed through the corridors.

"We get to the palace, that's the first thing we do." Queen Miriam stated.

"I hope we can do this" Blair once again had doubts. Seeing that, Queen Miriam held her hand tightly.

"Don't worry. We will, Blair." She assured Blair.

Somewhere in the woods near the palace, the man on a horse people had been seeing wander around started to head for the palace.

"It's been such a long time. This place hasn't even changed. I'm sorry I haven't been around for a while. I'll be back soon." He thought as the horse ran through the woods.

"No! Paul! Have you lost your mind? Get off me." Nick screamed as Paul wrestled with him on the ground, with Damian watching them.

Our young prince barely got his head hit by Paul's mallet. Let's say luck was on Nick's side that day.

"Are you going to listen to us or not?" Paul yelled back, still trying to wrestle with Nick.

"All right, all right" Nick finally gave up, as his friend Paul was slowly suffocating him. "What do you want to tell me?"

"All I'm asking is, go talk to Blair. Find her and settle this mess." Damian said. "She didn't lie to you after all. She _is_ the princess. It's your fiancée who's been lying to you."

Nick was still not convinced.

"She likes you." Paul added. This made Nick's expression change. "You can't deny it. You can tell by looking at her. And we know you like her too. From the very first time you saw her. I know how it feels, love at first sight."

Silence permeated the room. But it didn't last long until a royal servant came in with the coronation news. The princes prepared to leave the room.

"Just consider our advice. Will you be happy marrying someone you don't love and letting the one you love slip away from you? Or will you be strong enough to tell her how you feel? Your choice. Come on, Paul. We'll be late for the coronation." Damian and Paul left, leaving Nick standing there alone.

The sound of the music signaled the beginning of the coronation. It took place in front of the palace, right in front of the citizens' eyes. And in the crowd, the gang slowly maneuvered their way to the ceremony.

"Citizens of Gardania, we gather here today to witness a very special event…" Queen Cassandra initiated the long and hackneyed speech.

"It's starting!" Audrey informed the rest.

"Now what?"

"Just wait. I have a plan." Melody signaled the others to get closer and listen to her plan. "Here it is.."

"Uhm… Mel?" Audrey turned away and looked at something with an uneasy expression on her face.

"What is it, Audrey?" Melody's eyes followed Audrey's index finger. Blair and the Queen were rushing towards the ceremony stage.

"Or we could just go and tell them to stop the coronation." Melody sighed. "Let's go, before something bad happens."

Meanwhile, Queen Miriam and Blair got to the front of the crowd.

"Sorry for interrupting your victory, cousin dear, but I have to do this, after everything you've done to us." She whispered.

"Mother, I don't think that's a good ide-" Blair protested, but it was too late.

"If anyone objects to this…" Cassandra took the crown on her head and was about to give it to Tessa when her voice was interrupted.

"I object to this!" Everyone turned to see the brave woman who dared to challenge the queen.

Cassandra was genuinely puzzled. She had been too busy with the preparations that she let her guard down and now her prisoner had escaped. Now what?

"You… How did you…?" Cassandra look around the crowd and immediately spotted Blair. "That pesky brat! I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance! Guards! Seize that woman!"

Queen Miriam got surrounded by a dozen of guards. Not giving up, she struggled to be free.

"Let me go! I am Queen Miriam!" She yelled and pulled her cape down to reveal her face.

A gasp rang through the crowd. Everyone was shocked. It seemed that nobody knew the Queen, or anyone from her family, was alive! Taking advantage of the situation, Blair got to the scene.

"Your Highness, I thought you told us the King and Queen were deceased?" Someone in the crowd said loudly, followed by a series of "Yes!", "That's right!" and "What does this mean?"

"She lied to you all! She wanted you to believe so, she overthrew the Royal Family, and she deceived you all!" Queen Miriam said, still struggling with the guards.

"Please, leave my Mother alone!" Blair yelled, accidentally revealing her position to the guards, and the rest of the coronation attendants.

"Bad move, Blair." She heard Audrey whisper somewhere in the crowd behind her, before the crowd went wild again.

"Is she the lost princess?"

"So they're alive after all…"

"Why did she have to lie to us?"

Cassandra was furious. There was no way she would allow Blair ruin her daughter's coronation day!

"Yes, you're the princess. But you're not the princess anymore. Royalties overthrow each other, that's how life is. The winner takes it all, Blair. Besides, the law that allowed me to come to the throne was written by King Arthur, your father, and only he can prevent this. He's dead now."

Cassandra smirked, apparently satisfied with her eloquent explanation_. "Let's see how you object to that, Miriam!"_ She thought.

Suddenly, they heard a horse coming. It was the same man who was wandering in the woods for several days.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so sure" He said, revealing himself. Another gasp rang through the crowd. It was His Majesty King Arthur!

For the first time in her life, Cassandra realized she should have considered Tessa's warning: "Are you sure you got rid of them _all_, Mother?" Not only did she not get rid of them all, but she didn't get rid of _any_ of them!

But how could it be? She saw him drown in that river herself…

"Cousin, dear" Her voice softened. "You wouldn't blame me for this, would you? After all, I was just taking care of the kingdom while you were… uhm… away, you know."

"Stop pretending" King Arthur interrupted her. "We all knew what you did. All these years I've been waiting for an opportunity to return to the kingdom. Thanks to my daughter, we can now restore the power that belongs to our family."

"Liar! Liar!" The crowd rised against Cassandra.

Seeing there was no escape, Cassandra fled for her life, forgetting all about her daughter, Tessa.

"She's getting away!" Blair ran after her.

"Oh my, isn't she fast" Blair thought. Knowing there was no way she could reach her in time, Blair took off her shoe and aimed.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Marie. I know it's not appropriate for a princess to do this, but this is an emergency."

Meanwhile, Paul, Damian and Nick were wandering nearby, trying to get to the scene, when they saw Cassandra running past them.

"Hey! Isn't that your Mother-in-law?" Paul asked. "She can be a great athlete. Look at her run!"

"Blair is after her. This looks like trouble! Let's give her a hand!" Damian suggested.

"One, Two,…" Blair threw the shoe. It hit Cassandra's dress and left some dirt on it. Cassandra, being a very neat person, stopped to check her dress.

"Oh no, look what you've done to my beautiful gown! I'm going to…" She was threatening Blair when Paul and Damian got to her, and escorted her back to King Arthur.

Now that they were alone, Nick picked up Blair's shoe.

"Nice throw" He complimented her.

"Thank you." She replied, feeling uncomfortable talking to him as they just had a fight one day before.

Nick helped her put on her shoe, then took her hand in his, and asked:

"Come, Blair. We need to talk."


	11. Confessions

Chapter 11: Confessions

While the rest of the princess gang desperately tried to calm the chaos at the coronation scene, Nick and Blair took a walk in the palace garden, far enough from the scene to enjoy some privacy.

Silence. It seemed like Nick lost all of his confidence now that they were alone. Blair waited. If he doesn't want to say anything, maybe she should. What should she say? "I'm sorry for what happened."?

"So… Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Blair stopped. "I really need to get back over there. You know, to see if everything is all right."

"_All right, Nicholas. She wants to leave. It's now or never."_

"I just want to say… I'm sorry about... you know, what happened between us at Princess Charm School. I know I shouldn't have overreacted." He finally said.

"It's all right. I mean, I understand. And I'm sorry too." Blair smiled.

They continued to walk, but after a few moments Blair abruptly turned around and walked to the opposite direction.

"Well, if that's all, I'm going to check on Audrey and Melody… I'm sure they need my help right now." Blair walked away, but Nick was faster. He grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him.

"I'm not done yet" He said. "Please… just 5 minutes?"

Blair was surprised by his sudden change of attitude, but agreed.

"Sure… Nick, you can let go of me now."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Nick quickly let go of Blair's wrist. Then he took a deep breath, afraid what he was going to say would ruin everything.

"Blair" He began with the calmest voice possible. "I know this may sound strange to you… It took me a long time to realize, but now I know one thing for sure… I'm in love with you, Blair."

Blair didn't believe her ears. _"Did he just say…?"_

"What did you say?" She asked, still skeptical that what she just heard might have been a hallucination.

"I said that I'm in love with you." Nick said and held her hands_. "I'm sure she heard what I said. She just wants to hear it again."_

Without doubt, in that moment, Blair felt like she was the happiest person alive. Her wish… Her wish finally came true. And she never expected it to happen like this.

"Wait, what about Tessa? What about your wedding?" Blair's happiness ceased when she recalled the engagement ring she saw on Tessa's finger every day.

"I will talk to my father. I can get Melody to help me if I must. Because I know exactly who I want to spend the rest of my life with." Nick promised.

"I hope your father will approve of this." Blair said, still a bit worried.

"Don't worry. I know he will." A loud noise interrupted their conversation. It sounded like someone just dropped something.

"Audrey" Blair sighed.

"It's all right, you can go now." Nick said with a mischievous smile. "I'll talk to you later."

But as Nick turned around, Blair stopped him.

"Wait" She said. "You forgot something."

Nick wanted to ask "what?" but Blair threw her hands around his neck and kissed him.

It was a beautiful afternoon at the Buckinghurst palace, and the King was taking a nap on the throne when he was woken up by the sound of his son entering the room.

"Nicholas?" He yawned. "Not now. I'm tired."

Nick decided to take advantage of his father's sleepy condition and went straight to the point.

"Father, I'm in love with her" He declared.

"Of course you are" The King already went back to sleep. "You're marrying her in a week."

"Does that mean you agree? Oh, thank you father, I will go and tell Blair about this. Then we'll plan our wedding." Nick quickly left the room, but he didn't expect one thing.

His father was conscious enough to realize what he was trying to do.

"Nicholas!" He called before Nick could leave. "Tell me, who is that 'Blair' girl you were referring to? You'd better not do what I think you are doing."

"Father, I'll be honest with you. I don't want to marry Tessa anymore." Nick had a feeling this wouldn't end well.

"What's that? Not marrying her? Nicholas, you're betrothed to her! What changed your mind all of a sudden? That 'Blair' girl, I suppose?" Oh no. Nick's father guessed the whole thing right in 5 minutes.

"Father, I love Blair and I want to marry her. It would be unfair to me and Blair if I marry Tessa."

"Unfair to you and that girl, huh? What about Tessa? Have you ever cared about her feelings?" The King was on Tessa's side.

Things were getting hard. Nick decided to call for help from his sister.

"Father" Melody entered the room after seeing Nick's signal. "I'm not saying he should marry Blair, but you've seen what happened. Cassandra and Tessa have been lying to us all the time. I think they're not worth our trust for a lifetime commitment."

Melody's argument seemed eloquent, but not enough to convince their father.

"Let me tell you both something, because it seemed like you both lost your minds" The King stood up and walked toward the door. "You're marrying Tessa, Nicholas. In a week's time. Breaking engagements is against our tradition. That's why if you disobey me again, you'll both be exiled from this country. And believe me, that 'Blair' girl won't be around with impunity."

Tessa checked herself in the mirror. She was preparing for the wedding, yet neither of her friends were present to help her.

"What do you think?" She asked herself, imagining she was asking Diana, when she saw Victor's reflection in the mirror. He was standing behind her.

"You look magnificent as always, your highness" He answered her. "I'm sure you'll be the most beautiful bride the kingdom has ever seen."

Tessa turned around.

"Don't fawn on me. What are you doing here? Oh, by the way, have you seen Lara and Diana?" She asked coldly.

"I guess they're not your friends after all." Victor sighed.

"What do you mean?" She asked, but in her mind, she knew exactly what he meant: Her 'friends' left her! They left her after finding out the truth at the coronation.

"_Stupid Blair! It's all her fault!"_ She thought bitterly. "Now I realized that I don't have any friends."

"Your friends may have left you, but remember, I'm always here for you. I'm not good at giving girl advices, but if you need someone to talk to, I'll be there to listen." Victor comforted her.

Those words touched her conscience. Somehow Victor could realize that deep within this spoiled girl, there is a soft and vulnerable heart. He knew how to bring out the best of Tessa when no one else could.

Tessa felt guilty. She couldn't believe that after all the sneering, all the pushing away and sometimes even insulting, he was still nice to her. He could be her guide to start a better life.

"Thank you, Victor." She murmured. "After how I treated you… Why are you still nice to me?"

Victor took a deep breath. _"It wouldn't change anything now that she's getting married. At least she should know how I feel."_

"Because… I love you, Tessa." Victor confessed. "Now that it's all meaningless, I think I can tell you."

Tessa was speechless. She blushed and quickly turned away.

"I just want to ask you something, Tessa. Are you sure you want to marry Nick? He's made it clear that he loves another girl. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with a man, whose heart belongs to another?"

For the first time, Tessa felt afraid. Afraid of the lonely life awaiting for her the moment they were done exchanging vows. She could imagine him pushing her away everytime she wanted to hug him, imaginine him about a woman other than his wife all the time. No, she didn't want to live like this.

"His father doesn't allow him to break off the engagement."

"He can't, but you can. If you cancel the wedding, there's nothing they can do. It's your choice, Tessa. Think about it." Victor said and left.

Tessa sat down and thought about what Victor told her. His words kept reverberating in her head.

"_Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with a man, whose heart belongs to another?"_


	12. Happy Ending

Chapter 12: Happy Ending

_Prince Nicholas and Princess Tessa_

_Request the honor of your presence_

_At their marriage_

_On Saturday, the sixteenth of…_

The wedding invitation Blair was holding in her hands suddenly got blown away by a cold spring breeze.

That was when she realized she had forgotten to close her window.

"Oh, dear" She rushed to close the window. She felt her heart breaking into pieces as she saw the happy wedding guests on their way to the wedding. The wedding of her prince. Blair quickly closed the curtains to avoid seeing this.

As her room was suddenly filled with darkness, she walked to a corner of the room, where the wind sent her invitation to, and picked it up.

"I'm sorry, Nicholas. I'm a coward. I can't be there to share your joy. I wish you all the best." She ripped the piece of paper, not knowing what she was doing. She walked out of the room as the shreds of paper fell on the floor.

Blair decided to spend the whole day alone, at the fountain in the palace garden. Her best friends, Audrey and Melody, have been trying to comfort her to no avail for the last couple of days. She knew their intentions were good, but she opted to act selfish and ignore them both.

She walked straight to the fountain, ignoring her parents' attempts to cheer her up in the process. No one could make her happy on a day like this. She just wanted to be alone.

Blair sat down next to the fountain and slowly began to play with her own reflection in the water. She sighed as the memories came back to her one after another.

"_I guess… My wish upon that star didn't come true, after all…"_

"It's showtime!" The best man stormed into Nick's room with a shining smile.

He frowned at the intruder. "I told you to wait. Outside. It's not like I need your help putting my clothes on."

"All right then! I'll be at the altar" Nick's bad mood didn't seem to bother the best man. He happily danced his way out of the room.

Nick sighed. That best man his father assigned to him seemed happy as if he was the one getting married. He would gladly switch places with him if he could.

As he was about to exit the room, he saw the picture of Tessa on his desk. He remembered exactly the day his father told him he was betrothed to this girl and showed him her picture, telling him to always keep it by his side… So much had changed since then.

Was this the girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with? The girl who will lay beside him every night, the girl who will be the mother of his children? Suddenly, he felt like he was trapped in a prison with no escape.

"I'm sorry, Blair" He murmured to himself. "You will always be the one I love. My heart will always belong to you."

"Nick?" Melody appeared at the door. She didn't have to say anything. He knew, their time was up.

Melody was among the people who felt most guilty. She'd been trying to contact Blair, partly to erase the guilt that overwhelmed her conscience. But Blair didn't answer any of her letters, which made her feel even worse. Her father wasn't very happy to see the bridesmaid of honor with an unhappy face.

Victor was laying the table, preparing for the dinner following the wedding ceremony. He was aware that he was about to lose the girl he loved forever, but there was nothing he could do about it. Victor tried to be optimistic and clinged to the hope that the bride might change her mind in the last minute and make the right decision for all of them.

Finally, the wedding everyone had been expecting- but some people- came.

"Ready, Princess?" Melody asked Tessa with an indifferent expression on her face. During the past couple of days, she had learned to hide her real feelings in order to please her father.

"Huh? I mean, yes. Sure." Tessa awakened from her thoughts. "Let's go."

Tessa followed her bridesmaids and walked toward her groom. While she was still unsure of what to do, she saw Nick's face. His face beared multiple emotions: Anguish, regret, disappointment and even disgust. She realized she was making this difficult for them all. For her, for him, for Blair. She made a decision.

"Princess Tessa?" The archdeacon repeated.

"Oh, I'm sorry… Yes?" She shook herself from her dream.

"Princess Tessa, will you take Prince Nicholas as your lawfully wedded husband?" The archdeacon said after a slight sigh.

Silence.

More silence.

Whispers among the wedding guests permeated the room.

"Uhm… Tessa? Answer him. Let's get this disaster over and done with." Nick gently nudged her without even looking at her.

"Princess Tessa?" The archdeacon also seemed tired of repeating the same question thrice.

Unsure, Tessa turned around and looked at Victor, who was standing at the other side of the room. He shrugged and smiled at her.

"No. I can't do this." She said eventually. "Nicky, I can't do this to all of us. It's not fair to you, it's not fair to me, and most importantly, it's not fair to Blair."

And while Nick was still confused by his bride's sudden change of attitude, Tessa removed her bride's veil and ran out.

"Wait, wait! Princess Tessa!" Nick's father blocked Tessa's way out of the palace. "What do you mean you can't do this? We've had the wedding well prepared and all…"

"I am truthfully sorry, your Highness" Tessa gracefully curtsied. "But it's not me that your son wants to marry. And it's not him I want to marry, either."

She maneuvered her way out, while Nick's father was still stunned.

"What… what just happened? Melody?" He turned to his daughter, who was standing next to him.

"Father, please listen to me… For once…" She started explaining everything to him.

Meanwhile, Nick still stood at the altar, not believing his own eyes.

"Did she just… leave?" He asked Damian, who giggled mischeviously.

"If I were you, I would stop standing there looking like an idiot and go find her. And by her, I don't mean your bride." He answered.

_Right, look for Blair and tell her what just happened. She would be glad to hear this! After everything she'd been through, after everything we've done… Could this be true? Could it be, we can finally be together?_

Nick ran out of to the palace garden, frantically looking for Blair.

"Strange… I don't hear anything… Those people should have been celebrating by now…" Blair rose from her lying position and listened carefully to every slight sound human ears can hear.

And she heard footsteps. Walking toward her.

"It must be one of my servants" She thought. "It's no use persuading me to come inside. I'll just ignore her like I did the last time."

She turned her face to the fountain, and began playing with her reflection again, hoping her servant would get the hint and leave her alone.

But she was wrong.

That someone still stood behind her. Not giving up, Blair focused on her reflection in the water. And she saw the reflection of someone she least expected there.

"Nicholas!" She abruptly got up and turned around. He was smiling at her.

At first, Blair thought she was hallucinating. But no, he was there, he was there in the flesh. He was there with her, instead of at the wedding. What happened?

"Nick… What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at… the wedding?" She calmly asked him.

"No… Tessa just cancelled the wedding. I'm single again." Nick laughed.

"Oh." Blair was surprised that it was the only thing she could say. She had thought if they could ever got together, she would burn the whole palace out of happiness. Hm, no. That was really over the top.

"Blair? Now that I'm free to marry whoever I want to, do you know who I want to be my princess?" Nick asked with a smile.

"I think I do." Blair finally regained her awareness of the situation and walked toward him.

"Will you do me the honor of being your husband, Blair?" Nick held her hands as she came in front of him.

"Of course I will" Blair responded. She got lifted up and spinned around by strong hands almost immediately after answering.

When Nick finally settled her down on the ground, she giggled with an amused expression on her face.

"See? I told you, there was no need to run away. Everything worked out fine. And to be honest, I didn't think it would work out so easily." She said.

"I guess we owe Tessa this time" Nick added.

"No. She owed us a lot. Now we're even." She joked and they laughed together, finally free of any pressure from anyone. Their time came. And Blair realized, she was wrong to assume her wish didn't come true. It just did.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the palace, Tessa was taking off her glass slippers and jewelry, mumbling something about the shoes being too tight.

"Why hello there, princess." She looked up and saw Victor approaching her. He couldn't look more satisfied. "I'm just so proud of you."

"Stop fawning and help me get those shoes off" Tessa snapped at him. But from the look on her face, he could tell she was only messing with him.

"All right, all right, Madame Bossy." He laughed and helped her deal with the tight shoes.

When he was done, they both sat there in silence, enjoying the rest of the day.

"You were right, Victor" Tessa finally said, breaking the silence. "It was for the best."

"I told you, no one understands you better than I do." Victor said. "And I understand that you're not happy."

"I was. And I didn't even realize that. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought we were in love. We weren't. And we aren't now." She said. "I guess I was lucky to have you as a friend."

Silence again. But inside, Victor was celebrating. Tessa regarded him as her "friend". Well, that might not say anything, but it was definitely a progress.

He got one more reason to celebrate when Tessa leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Victor was intrigued. He tried to kiss her on the lips, but Tessa gently pushed him away with an embarrassed smile.

"Maybe we should take this slowly… Vic." She suggested.

"Oh, all right… I was only testing your response." Victor denied. Which made Tessa laugh.

The new couple, who just found a new attraction toward each other, continued to sit together and enjoy as the sun set in the West.


End file.
